Madhura or sweet is one of the six primary tastes identified by Ayurveda. And when you hear the word sweet, the first thing that would come to your mind is sugar.
There are many sources that say consuming sugar is unhealthy. But, to be honest, sugar is no enemy as long as you know when to treat yourself. The best way is to reduce your intake of sugar and making it an occasional indulgence.
Out of all sugars, Ayurveda considers Mishri to be the best.
Why rock sugar?
There is a common notion that jaggery is the best form of sweetener and is healthy. But Ayurveda has a different opinion.
In fact, Ayurveda considers rock sugar as the best and healthiest form of sweetener, while there is no such mention of jaggery in any of the Ayurvedic texts.
Rock sugar versus jaggery
Here is a comparison of the properties of rock sugar and jaggery:
| Rock sugar | Jaggery |
| Digestive and cooling | Heavy and not very cooling |
| Loaded with medicinal properties | Lesser medicinal properties |
| Helps improve cough and cold and is an ingredient in many cough and cold medicines, such as Sitopaladi churna, Talisapatradi churna, etc. | Worsens cold and cough and even creates Krimi (intestinal worms) and increases body fat
|
| Helps reduce Vata and Pitta; however, increases Kapha and is hence not ideal for diabetics | Reduces Vata, but only helps decrease Pitta slightly
|
| Safe for daily consumption | Ayurvedic texts have no such mentions of jaggery |
| Good for your eyes and helps improve strength | Cleanses bladder and urine, and purifies blood and increases strength |
| Has anti-ageing and aphrodisiac properties | Aphrodisiac |
| Traditionally prepared and is available in the raw form. It is not chemically processed, refined or bleached. | If jaggery is not made well, it causes extreme Kapha disorders, intestinal worms, etc. Also, Ayurveda recommends using old jaggery, that is one year old or more. But considering how jaggery is prepared these days, old jaggery is not fit to use. You cannot use new jaggery either as it is inferior, and may cause indigestion. |
You can clearly see who the winner is here.
Now you know what to add to your tea! Rock sugar or jaggery?